I attended the 42nd sample of international films, here in Brazil, and I was impressed. This film arouses innumerable feelings and questioning, in an extremely natural way, about a subject that is, in a sense, a taboo in the contemporaneity: old age.
3 Reviews
Warm, Empathetic yet Real Study of Aging and its Effect on the Family
optionsf8 December 2018
Diego lives a carefree young life until his grandmother, América, needs care as she ages and dementia eats away at her abilities. One by one, the sons and extended family members are called upon to help; necessary for her survival but impeding theirs. What kind of selfless love does it take to give up one's own freedom to respectfully aid a grandparent who might otherwise be institutionalized with minimal care or die alone? What is the effect on the relationship of brother to brother, and the implications to them having their own lives?
This loving and respectful documentary required Chase Whiteside and Eric Stoll to follow the family for years, a journey which we watch while being reminded of our own elders and their needs. The family is Mexican, but the issue is one which any of us may only be lucky enough to face ourselves if we live to watch our parents or grandparents bodies age beyond their capacities, without having suffered early death or disease. Yet the path is an arduous one, and not for those without the strongest sense of commitment.
Beautifully filmed and crisply edited, América is more than a story or a film. It is a joyous and poignant reminder of that which truly makes us human: family and the strength we need to care for those who no longer can care for themselves.
This loving and respectful documentary required Chase Whiteside and Eric Stoll to follow the family for years, a journey which we watch while being reminded of our own elders and their needs. The family is Mexican, but the issue is one which any of us may only be lucky enough to face ourselves if we live to watch our parents or grandparents bodies age beyond their capacities, without having suffered early death or disease. Yet the path is an arduous one, and not for those without the strongest sense of commitment.
Beautifully filmed and crisply edited, América is more than a story or a film. It is a joyous and poignant reminder of that which truly makes us human: family and the strength we need to care for those who no longer can care for themselves.
Partly thought provoking (could I have accomplished this?) and partly moving story around believable cardboard-less people
JvH4815 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Saw this at IDFA, the International Documentary Festival 2018 in Amsterdam. Parly moving story, which will satisfy a considerable group of potential viewers who usually steer clear of a documentary. Additionally, it is partly thought provoking, when pondering whether I by myself could have accomplished what they did. Of course, the brothers were lucky in the fact there were three of them, plus an additional girl friend. They could thus make a duty roster to evenly share responsabilities, as everyone had his own things to do outside the house to make a living.
Though generally cooperating in good harmony for many months, we see the relationship between the brothers becoming tense some of the time, for example in the case when they need 25,000 pesos to bribe a judge. The one brother taking care of the bulk of the household activities, cannot pull his weight financially, as his contribution is not a paid one and seems to not count in such a case. Apart from this example, the relationship between the brothers was harmonious for a long time. May I be so bold to say that it seems a bit surreal to me?? Or did they hide their differences in favor of their grandmother, who could not bear loud word exchanges potentially bordering on a row (we saw a few relatively innocent examples of it, luckily not escalating but possibly holding back just to spare grandma).
There were also differences of opinion, not relational but rather strategical. One got some extra attention, namely the issues around walking with America. One of the brothers just wanted to stretch her capabilities to walk alone despite grandma's protests who feared to fall when doing it the way he wanted her to walk. It went wrong once due to people in the park calling the police, while assuming that his pressure was a form of abuse,
Though the threesome were involuntarily forced into caring for their grandma when Luis was put in jail, they kept things going for ¾ of a year. And it must be said they did a good job. (** spoilers ahead **) Things went downhill when Luis returned from jail, as he did not want this household to continue this way (it was not his idea of freedom). So, two brothers moved out with America, and did everything to keep her out of a nursing home.
The final scene, two years later, went by too fast to judge the situation at hand. This new phase in everyone's lives implied drastic changes. And two years would have been long enough, allowing everyone to adjust in the meantime. Given the relatively short running time (76 min is not much for a feature length movie), this new situation that definitely changed all relationships involved, would have been interesting to watch how it worked out. It had deserved more attention.
Though generally cooperating in good harmony for many months, we see the relationship between the brothers becoming tense some of the time, for example in the case when they need 25,000 pesos to bribe a judge. The one brother taking care of the bulk of the household activities, cannot pull his weight financially, as his contribution is not a paid one and seems to not count in such a case. Apart from this example, the relationship between the brothers was harmonious for a long time. May I be so bold to say that it seems a bit surreal to me?? Or did they hide their differences in favor of their grandmother, who could not bear loud word exchanges potentially bordering on a row (we saw a few relatively innocent examples of it, luckily not escalating but possibly holding back just to spare grandma).
There were also differences of opinion, not relational but rather strategical. One got some extra attention, namely the issues around walking with America. One of the brothers just wanted to stretch her capabilities to walk alone despite grandma's protests who feared to fall when doing it the way he wanted her to walk. It went wrong once due to people in the park calling the police, while assuming that his pressure was a form of abuse,
Though the threesome were involuntarily forced into caring for their grandma when Luis was put in jail, they kept things going for ¾ of a year. And it must be said they did a good job. (** spoilers ahead **) Things went downhill when Luis returned from jail, as he did not want this household to continue this way (it was not his idea of freedom). So, two brothers moved out with America, and did everything to keep her out of a nursing home.
The final scene, two years later, went by too fast to judge the situation at hand. This new phase in everyone's lives implied drastic changes. And two years would have been long enough, allowing everyone to adjust in the meantime. Given the relatively short running time (76 min is not much for a feature length movie), this new situation that definitely changed all relationships involved, would have been interesting to watch how it worked out. It had deserved more attention.
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